Orlando Campos wants more power flowing into the Rio Grande Valley, and he says the region cannot wait.
Campos, chief executive officer of the Harlingen Economic Development Corporation (EDC), is urging AEP Texas to extend 765-kilovolt extra-high-voltage transmission capacity into the region, MyRGV.com first reported Oct. 29.
The request comes amid new industrial development in Cameron County, including a planned artificial intelligence data center campus near Harlingen and Rio Hondo.
Developer Fluidstack announced Sept. 21 that work had begun on the $4 billion first phase of its Cameron County campus. The company said the first phase is planned to support up to 1.5 gigawatts of computing capacity.
Fluidstack expects the development to create more than 2,500 construction jobs and several hundred permanent positions. Those are company projections, not verified employment totals.
Cameron County issued a worksite permit Sept. 10 for land preparation and associated infrastructure. The county said additional permits would be required before building construction.
AEP's current plans
AEP Texas is planning to rebuild approximately 44.5 miles of existing 138-kilovolt transmission infrastructure in Cameron County.
The company's Brownsville Transmission Line Rebuilds Project is intended to improve electrical reliability for residents and businesses.
AEP plans to install steel poles approximately 85 to 100 feet high. Typical distances between structures would range from 400 to 600 feet, with rights-of-way approximately 100 feet wide.
The company lists summer 2027 as its target for submitting an application to the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT). The commission would determine the approved route.
Construction is currently projected to begin in summer 2028, with facilities entering service in fall 2029. AEP says the schedule is subject to change.
The proposed 138-kilovolt rebuild is separate from the additional 765-kilovolt capacity sought by regional economic development leaders.
Statewide 765-kV planning
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) has examined higher-voltage transmission infrastructure as a way to address increasing electricity demand.
In a January 2025 planning comparison, ERCOT estimated that a statewide 765-kilovolt expansion alternative, including Permian Basin reliability projects, would cost approximately $32.99 billion.
That figure was a planning estimate, not an announcement that a $32.99 billion project had received final construction approval.
ERCOT identified growing electrical demand from data centers, manufacturing and other large users as reasons to examine transmission expansion.
The planning analysis does not establish approval of a new 765-kilovolt connection to Harlingen or the Rio Grande Valley.
What's next
AEP Texas has scheduled two public open houses to discuss the 138-kilovolt rebuild.
The first is Wednesday, Nov. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Texas Southmost College's Jacob Brown Auditorium, 600 International Boulevard, Brownsville.
The second is Thursday, Nov. 5, from 5 to 7 p.m. at Veterans Memorial Academy, 2115 N. Oscar Williams Road, San Benito.
AEP says residents can review maps, learn about proposed infrastructure and speak with project representatives. The meetings will not include formal presentations.
